Filling the 'gap' for waterway tourism

Over the years, waterway tourism has contributed significantly to Vietnam's tourism industry, especially in attracting high-end tourists.

Although considered a highly safe mode of transportation, recent incidents, most notably the serious boat capsizing in Ha Long Bay on July 19th, have raised alarm bells about shortcomings in management, disaster warning, and rescue efforts, highlighting the urgent need to tighten measures to ensure the safety of tourists.

Stricter management of waterway tourism is needed to minimize safety risks.

Vietnam's tourism "gold mine".

With its 3,200km long coastline, dense network of rivers, and deep-water ports suitable for large ships, Vietnam has great potential for developing waterway tourism, including sea and river tourism. According to Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, waterway tourism is a "gold mine" for Vietnam's tourism industry, attracting a large number of high-spending international tourists.

According to the General Statistics Office ( Ministry of Finance ), in the first six months of the year, the number of tourists arriving in Vietnam by sea reached over 181,000, accounting for 1.7% of the total number of international tourists to Vietnam. Major source markets continued to maintain high growth rates, with China leading with 2.7 million arrivals, accounting for 25.6%, followed by South Korea with 2.2 million arrivals, accounting for 20.7%.

According to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has continuously welcomed luxury cruise ships and yachts docking at ports in Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. For example, the Celebrity Solstice brought over 3,000 European and American tourists to Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta provinces in January; the Adora Cruise docked at Tien Sa port (Da Nang) in February carrying 2,400 international tourists.

Localities have recorded a significant increase in the number of cruise ships compared to the previous year. In just the first two months of the year, Khanh Hoa province welcomed 7 international cruise ships with over 12,500 tourists. Quang Ninh province recorded approximately 70 international cruise ships registered to dock in 2025, an increase of about 30% compared to 2024, with nearly 90,000 international tourists from Europe, America, Australia, Northeast Asia, etc. Tien Sa Port (Da Nang) is estimated to welcome around 76 ships, with over 70,000 passengers, a 64% increase compared to 2024.

Besides sea travel, various forms of tourism on the sea and rivers have also developed strongly in recent years, bringing significant revenue to localities. Examples include overnight cruises and sightseeing boats in Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh); cruises on the Han River in Da Nang; and cruises on the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City. In Hanoi, tourism on the Red River is also considered a promising product, and the Hanoi Department of Tourism, in coordination with the Hanoi Tourism Corporation, is focusing on promoting and improving services.

We need to raise awareness and tighten management.

According to experts, cruise tourism is generally quite safe but still carries unexpected risks. The boat capsizing incident in Ha Long Bay on July 19th, which resulted in significant casualties, was considered a rare accident but also served as a warning about the need to tighten management procedures, licensing, ship standards, disaster warning, rescue operations, and safety guidelines for tourists on the sea and rivers.

Mr. Pham Ha, Chairman of LuxGroup, a company that manages and operates many cruise ships in Ha Long Bay and Nha Trang, noted that there are currently shortcomings in the design of tourist ships, particularly the lack of automatic warning systems. Furthermore, weather forecasting and warnings for extreme weather conditions are still slow. Many ship owners are quite negligent, failing to provide clear and specific instructions on emergency evacuation procedures for passengers before boarding.

To address this issue, Mr. Pham Ha suggested that all vessels should be monitored via GPS and AIS (a system for monitoring ships, tracking location, direction, speed, and other information) directly connected to a control center managed by the local destination management board. In case of an accident, the control center would have a plan to provide timely assistance and rescue.

According to Nguyen Ngoc Bich, General Director of Mekong Rustic Tourism Company, there needs to be more channels for working with boat owners and tourists, such as an SMS system, having the phone numbers of boat owners, and a communication channel with boat owners so that in case of an incident, they can immediately contact the rescue department. In addition, tourism companies need to regularly equip their staff with knowledge, skills, and training to respond to emergency situations.

Reportedly, following the boat capsizing incident in Ha Long Bay, the Ha Long Bay Management Board was tasked with immediately researching a 24/7 vessel tracking system to ensure monitoring and communication with vessels in emergency situations. Vessels are required to provide information and safety training to passengers before departure.

Regarding the issue of improving management processes and ensuring the safety of tourists, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration Pham Van Thuy said that the Administration requires localities and businesses operating sea and river boat services to review their operating procedures, establish a system for warning about natural disasters and unusual weather, and standardize the requirements for boats to ensure the safety of tourists.

hanoimoi.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/lap-lo-hong-cho-du-lich-duong-thuy-post879215.html